INSPIRE

Katherine Warren

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to inspire someone.

I was floored to be recognized earlier in the year with an Inspire award for women in small business. The women nominated this year (and every year) were outstanding. I genuinely thought I had zero chance of receiving the award. I was fully prepared to go to the event, enjoy my salad, and smile politely when the name in my category was announced. I think it took me a full minute to stand up when they called my name. I simply didn’t believe it.\


And you know what, I have a sneaking suspicion most women nominated felt the same way. That they aren’t in “the league” of the other nominees. That damn imposter syndrome soaks in every ounce of our female beings.

And then, a few months later I got nominated for an Impact Award through Vistage, and barely told anyone about it because it was “too soon” after my last recognition.


That makes me sad.


Even after all the work we’ve done to build each other up, to tout our worth, to lean into our power, at the end of the day too many women still feel like me. That they aren’t deserving of recognition.


I want so deeply for there to be real change here. What will it take? I wish I knew. I wish this blog was about the top 3 tips to get out of your “I’m undeserving” head and into your space of “I am more than f’ing deserving” light. But I’m still working on that.


What I did instead was take this gift and reflect on what it means to be inspiring.


How do you most meaningfully uplift others and encourage them along on their journey? How do you best use your words and actions to inspire?


Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:


  1. Deeply Listen. At the end of the day, I think what most people want is to be heard. Really heard and then acknowledged. Whether you agree with what is being said or not, you can still listen and acknowledge it.

  2. Be Curious. One of the best things a coach has ever said to me is, “your job as a leader is to get curious.” Ask questions, and seek to truly understand. The next time you want to react to something, get curious about it instead. The world is in need of more lifelong learners.

  3. Be Open. As Jessica Zweig so beautifully puts it, Share Your Shit. Listen to the other person’s shit, get curious about it, then be open to sharing real, raw stories about your experiences that might help guide or empathize.

  4. Be Available (ish). We are all too wrapped up in life to constantly check in. I think this “requirement” to stay connected as often as possible is too much pressure. You can’t be of service to another human if you are showing up burnt out.  Instead, I think we should all stay available without that pressure. If someone reaches out and needs a recommendation, an ear to discuss life, your two cents on a solution, THAT’s when you become available. You show up when the need to show up is truly there, not just when your calendar says you haven’t talked to that person in a while.

  5. Lead By Example. Is this cliche? Maybe. Is it true? Absolutely. Are people who know me professionally sick of hearing this? Probably. 🙂 If you say you prioritize something in your work, company or life, then people need to see you living it. Not inauthentically ALL of the time, but 80% of the time, we need to see in you what you say you believe.


So that’s what I have so far. My next goal on this inspiration journey is to get nominated for something and feel deserving, right out of the gate, so that every young lady that comes after me (whom I’ve had the fortune of knowing) feels the same. I can’t think of any life work more important, more inspirational to keep going, than that.


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